


Everyone's Favorite Teen Parent

by orphan_account



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, BAMF Joyce Byers, BAMF Steve Harrington, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Steve Harrington, Hurt/Comfort, Jim "Chief" Hopper Being Jim "Chief" Hopper, Murray and Alexei seem like bros, Post-Season/Series 03, Soccer Mom Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Steve Harrington-centric, all the kids love steve, fuck all the season three deaths, make steve and billy friends you cowards, they aren't canon here baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2020-07-18 01:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19966363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Steve Harrington is totally and completely fine with being lumped into the category of “dumb jock.” He is also completely and totally fine with losing what little shred remains of his previous highschool popularity for hanging around with middle schoolers. In fact, this all makes it much easier for Steve to do what he does best. Hide. Now, people don’t question the bruises or that cold look in his eyes. Or at least that’s what Steve thought. Until some unexpected people worm their way into his heart. And maybe it’s just in time.





	1. Crazy Train

When Steve applied for his job at Scoops Ahoy, he expected a lame summer job meant to teach him responsibility and integrity. He also expected to be bothered by the middle school shitheads 24/7. Only one of those things actually happened. Take a guess which one

Somehow, Steve found himself dragged into the darker side of Hawkins a second time. With the help of Dustin, Erica Sinclar (that one was confusing), and his new partner in crime, Robin, Steve managed to uncover a secret Russian base under the Starcour Mall.

He even won his first fight.

And then promptly got the shit beat out of him. They really didn’t believe he worked at Scoops Ahoy.

Everything just got crazier from there. They fought off a huge… creature, Suzie turned out to be real, they blew the shit out of said creature, Billy almost made the ultimate sacrifice but was thrown out of the way by a screaming Eleven. Steve didn’t think he would ever get used to that. The creature looked like it was going to win when suddenly it just. Stopped.

Steve had seen a lot of weird things in his days in the Monster Fight Club (as he called it secretly, and only to himself) but those weird things never seemed to go their way. 

The government arrived, ready to cover everything up, as usual. Joyce and Hopper came sprinting towards their ragtag group, two other men running behind them. The reunion was tearful, and Steve gave himself a private moment to smile. 

Everyone piled into cars and drove over to the Byers, piling into the relatively small, but cozy, house. 

El and Mike sit huddled together on the floor, incapable of letting go of each other to even be checked over by an indignant Hopper. Steve doesn't blame them. They've been through a lot. They’re only kids, after all.

On the floor a few feet away, sits a very strange group. Billy, Max, and Lucas sit awkwardly, with Max clinging to her stepbrother like he's her lifeline. Billy and Steve share a look, and Billy nods. There won’t be any more fighting after tonight. They’re on the same team.

The Byers cling to each other, and Joyce sobs into her son's hair. Steve couldn’t imagine the thoughts that must be going through her head at the thought of losing her boys. Nancy hovers nervously nearby before Joyce pulls her into the hug. Nancy sags with relief.

Steve sees the two men that accompanied Hopper and Mrs. Byers speaking to each other in rapid-fire Russian. While their faces look neutral, Steve can see the joy in their eyes. They've won.

Steve then turns his gaze to the newly formed group of Russian hunters. Robin, Dustin, and Erica are bickering on the couch next to him, a familiar air among them. Erica seems to be asking Robin on how she plans on following through with her promise of unlimited ice cream now that Scoops Ahoy is toast.

The room is filled with chaos, but it calms him, easing the feeling of paranoia that is creeping up his spine like cold, dead fingers.

Letting out an involuntary shiver, Steve winces as his head throbs at the sudden movement. The wounds will heal, but somehow Steve thinks that everyone in this room has had their lives changed forever. 

Whether it is for the better or worse will be revealed with time. And lots and lots of hot chocolate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaah, so sorry for randomly posting this with just the tags, i just didn't want the draft to delete on me. so i hope you enjoyed this chapter, i am not sure how i feel about it. if anyone wants to become a beta reader for me i would greatly appreciate it. and you'd get early chapter so let me know :)


	2. Sound Of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve deals with the silence of his house, and memories come flashing back. He's saved by a phone call.

The only sound in the cold, empty house is the erratic thumping of Steve Harrington’s heart. If he’s being honest with himself, Steve never used to have a problem with silence. Or maybe he was just used to there never being silence.

When he was little, his parents were around. Not mentally, but they were there. The constant screaming filled up the silence. The sound of sobbing late at night filled it up too.

Then when his parents left, Steve threw parties. Loud ones. People he didn’t even know filled his house. Filled his backyard. Steve coped through the loud and wild parties.

Then came Nancy. She didn’t even need to make a sound to fill up the silence in his heart. But of course, Steve messed it all up, and she left him alone in the silence once more.

Then came the kids. They may have been obnoxious but they filled up the silence. Steve cared for them. Sometimes, Steve had the realization that he would die for those kids. Even Mike, who seemed to hate him. Steve didn’t blame him.

But now, everything had calmed down. There were no Russians or demo-whatevers attempting to kill everyone. So everyone went home. To their families.

Once again Steve realized that he truly didn’t belong with the rest of the group. He was merely an outsider, backup.

Steve tiredly kicked off his shoes and walked through the empty house, keeping the lights off. He preferred the weak but ever-present light of the moon to the fake LED lights that he had spent his childhood staring up at after his father once again decided he wasn’t good enough.

Steve turned on the television, letting the mindless droning fill up the silence that was crushing him. It wasn’t his fam- group, but it was better than sitting alone, heart-pounding and ears ringing.

Steve felt himself drifting off, comforted by the thoughts of the party, as they called themselves, and the comforting drone of a bored news anchorwoman

『••✎••』

Sweat

Steve knew his parents would be coming home any minute, and he couldn’t stop sweating. His palms were slick and clammy, and he felt beads of sweat run down his forehead. Steve is no coward, he’s won his fair share of fights in his lifetime. However he also just got his ass handed to him.

The fight he just lost was worth losing. He protected the kids from Billy. Going into it, Steve knew he was going to lose.

What he didn’t anticipate was the call that his parents would be coming home soon. Steve still hadn’t recovered from his beating from Billy. He didn’t know if he’d survive his father.

So here he was, locked in his room, salty sweat running into his still-healing wounds, making him wince. 

The front door opens and Steve stands up, resigned to his fate. As he walks down the stairs, only one thought is going through his head.

‘Harrington’s don’t hide.’

The mantra his father had been pounding into his head since Steve was old enough to understand it.

He takes the last steps into the entryway and is met with the disappointed looks of his mother and father.

Blood

Soon, his parent’s visit turns into what it always does. A beating.

Steve tries to fight back, he does. But he’s weakened from his confrontation with Billy. And let’s face it. Would you be able to hit your father?

So Steve stands there. He takes the fists to his face, his chest, his stomach. And when he is unable to stand, his father kicks him, while his mother drinks red wine, watching the whole confrontation with a bored look on her face.

The whole time, Steve never utters a word, never raises a finger against his parents. The beating lasts three hours until his parents grow tired of the debacle. 

They leave like they were never there, the only sign of their visit is their bloodied son lying on the floor.

Tears

The third and final stage of his parents' visits.

Steve just lays there, staring up at the cold, colorless lights that shine down on him from the ceiling.

Before he can stop them, tears are streaming down his face, mixing with the blood and sweat there.

The phone is ringing, but Steve can’t get up to answer it.

It keeps ringing.

『••✎••』

Steve sits up, the television still droning on mindlessly in the background. His heart is once again beating wildly against his ribcage as his mind catches up with the reality of the situation.

It was all a dream or rather a memory. His parents aren’t home. He’s safe. For now.

Steve then realizes that the phone is still ringing loudly next to him, having woken him up from his nightmare. Steve is secretly thankful to whoever is awaiting him on the other side.

“Harrington, I need to ask you a favor.” The gruff voice of Hopper sounds from the other end of the line.

“Uh, sure Chief. Is everything okay?” Steve replies after he’s gathered his wits.

“Yes. Joyce and I just have plans, yeah plans tomorrow. We know how much of a help you’ve been. You know protecting the kids and all.” Hopper says, seeming to trip over his words. Steve can tell he’s unsure of what to say next. 

“I can take Will and El if you need the night off. Nobody’s around right now.” Steve says, saving the Chief from tripping over his words further.

The man exhales, a sigh of relief audible over the phone. “Thanks, kid. We’ll drop them off at seven. We don’t know what time we’ll be back. So, uh.”

Steve chokes back a laugh at the awkwardness of this phone conversation.

“I’ve got room if they need to stay the night,” Steve says, his eyes crinkled in a rare genuine smile. Not that anyone is here to see it.

“See you tomorrow,” Hopper says, ending the conversation abruptly.

Steve lays back on the couch and runs a hand through his hair, damp from sweat. 

“Well, looks like I don’t have to worry about silence tomorrow,” Steve says to himself, as he seta about making the house entertaining for the two rugrats he knows the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy everyone! welcome back and thanks for returning for the second chapter, it means a lot to me. this one is a bit longer, i wasn't satisfied with the length of the first one, but i think it served as a nice little teaser/intro.


	3. Hammer to Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve prepares for the arrival of Will and El

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy...
> 
> sorry for being a little rat and not updating in forever your patience means the world to me and i love all of you. look forward to more frequent updates ;)

The feelings between Joyce Byers and Chief Hopper are one of the worst kept secrets in Hawkins. And that’s saying something, because they have Russians and monsters here. Honestly Steve thinks that sometimes people do know what’s really going on, they just don’t care. But can you really blame them?

Steve repeats this as a mantra as he goes through his movie collection, attempting to find movies that will appeal to Will and El.

El is easy, she enjoys any movie with a happy ending. Although animated movies seem to enchant her, so for her, Steve choses A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Aristocats, Cinderella, and Fantasia. Steve briefly considers the Fox and the Hound, but he didn’t feel like crying in front of the kids, so that one was vetoed. 

Will is a bit more wide ranged, although Steve has been sensing some serious nostalgia coming from him. He choses Ghostbusters and the first (by date you heathens) Star Wars movie.

Satisfied with his choices, Steve places them out in front of the couch, which is piled with blankets and pillows. If Steve knows anything about the kids, it’s that they’re very physical, so he figures they’ll appreciate the cocoon he’s made on the couch.

Steve then heads to the kitchen, surveying the various snacks he has prepared for when the gremlins come over. He knows they’ll be hungry. I mean, come on. They’re kids. He has a huge piles of Eggos for El (per Hopper’s advice) along with whipped cream and various freshly cut fruits. He also has a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches small enough to feel all of Hawkins Indiana. There is a large bowl of buttery popcorn just for the movie and Steve admires it all with a proud smile on his face. He IS a damn good babysitter.

The doorbell rings, and Steve gives his layout one last proud look before walking through the empty halls to the front door. He swings it open to reveal a sheepish looking Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper, each with a small child clinging onto their legs.

“Steve, sweetie, thank you again so much for doing this.” Joyce says warmly, pulling Steve into a motherly hug, his small flinch going unnoticed.

Hopper merely grunts, ever the eloquent speaker.

El bravely walks up to Steve, studies him momentarily, and says: “Friend.” with a tone of finality before grabbing Will’s hand and leading him through the threshold of Steve’s empty house.

After briefly speaking with Joyce and Hopper, Steve follows the kids into the house, where he finds them staring at the piles of food in awe.

“Welcome to casa de Harrington. You’re in for the night of your lives.” Steve says proudly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is very short oops


	4. monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Eleven are under the care of mama Steve. Chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👁👁

Steve really needed to stop being such a nice and wonderful individual. Okay who was he kidding this “niceness” was all very new to him. But don’t tell anyone that.

Joyce and Hopper have only been out for about an hour, and Steve has already had a major heart attack. The heart attack comes when Steve is in the kitchen preparing to bring the snacks he prepared into the living room. Steve chuckles fondly when he thinks of how solemn El had looked when she informed him that:

Snacks are meant to be eaten WHILE watching a movie.

Will nodded and smiled shyly in agreement. Steve had become such a pushover. So when he hears a shrill, high pitched scream, he runs into the living room, expecting to see the mindflayer him(them? its?)self looming over the children.

He is greeted with a much less intimidating sight. Will is on the floor with popcorn strewn all around him. Will has a sheepish smile on his face and El is sporting an exaggerated pout. Then the two collapse into a fit of giggles. From what Steve manages to gather in between bouts of uncontrollable giggling, Will had put a hand on El’s shoulder to get her attention and had scared her, causing her to use her powers to send Will, and the popcorn, crashing onto the carpeted floor.

Oh to be young and not terrified of every little thing. And to be in cardiac arrest.

El is the first to break out of the giggle fit, and she looks pointedly at Steve. He shivers as he heads into the kitchen to grab the snacks. He can practically feel her eyes boring into his back.

He must be imagining things.

“Alright less shitty dipshits,” Steve says loudly as he heads back into the living room, where Will and El have managed to clean up the popcorn fairly well. “I have prepared for you a very extravagant meal. I know, I know. I’m the best.” Steve finishes with a smug grin on his face.

Will nods solemnly, as if Steve is preaching the gospel and El just looks at him with that calculating gaze. Steve hates girls sometimes.

“Alright, alright, don’t all thank me at once.” Steve mumbles under his breath as he sets the platter of Eggos and various unhealthy toppings in front of the kids.

El continues to stare at him, and then, as if told to do so by some outside force, gestures to the space on the couch between her and Will.

“Sit.” she says simply. 

Steve was never one to decline such a polite invitation.

『••✎••』

Steve had made a decision. A very important and life changing one. He needed to stop being so nice to the children that constantly roamed around him. They got too comfortable.

Steve had El pressed to one side and Will the other, as the two chatted animatedly as if they weren’t both using Steve as a human body pillow.

How did he get here?

Oh that’s right. 

HE WAS BEING NICE.

He hadn’t wanted to deny El’s invitation to sit with her and Will, so he obliged, only for the two to slowly scooch in closer until they found themselves in the current position.

When he gave them questioning looks, Will, surprisingly, had been the one to reply in his usual solemn manner.

“There is only one blanket. We have to share!” He said throwing said blanket over the three of them. 

They were now three movies in, and Steve could feel his eyelids growing heavy. The once towering stack of Eggo waffles was now completely gone, demolished by a couple of thirteen year olds.

Steve fought to keep his eyes open, the combination of the body heat and the calming movies lulling him into a sense of peace.

So, with Will and El chatting softly about the movie on either side of him, Steve Harrington drifted into an uneasy sleep.

『••✎••』

Steve didn’t wake up abruptly as he was used to doing. Steve was used to bolting out of his bed, sheets tangled up in sweaty limbs and a scream tearing up his dry throat.

Steve wakes up slowly, as if coming out of a years coma. Immediately, Steve knew something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

For one, El and Will were nowhere to be found. The air felt heavy, as if there was a force pushing down on Steve’s chest. The sky outside was red, making the world outside of his window seem like some horrific dream.

“Will?” Steve called out tentatively, as if his voice would shatter the world into a million pieces. “El?”

Steve’s heart dropped as a familiar car pulled into his driveway. His parents stepped out of their too clean, too expensive car. Something was wrong.

Steve’s father looked at him, eyes boring into his soul through the window. Steve’s father’s eyes were black.

Steve felt his skin pale as the mind flayer towered over the thick woods surrounding Hawkins. It was back.

『••✎••』

Steve fell off of the couch, looking up at the concerned faces of Will and El. This time he knew he was really awake. 

Abrupt awakening? Well, he was on the floor so check.

Sheets tangled in sweaty limbs? He had pulled the blanket down with him. Check.

Throat raw from screaming? Considering the two concerned teenagers looking down at him from their perches on the couch, Steve checked that off his list too.

“I’m fine.” Steve rasped, waving a dismissive hand at the two “Just a bad dream, you two know how that works.”

Even though he was still rattled and feeling nauseous, Steve stood up with feigned ease, heading over to the tv to pick out a new movie.

“What’ll it be?” Steve said with a lopsided grin, effectively changing the subject to excited chatter about which movie to watch next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! i am so thankful that so many of you have stuck with me through my extended hiatus. the constant stream of kudos and the occasional comment really motivated me to get this chapter done. if you guys have anything you'd like to see in this fic, please feel free to request it in the comments <3


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